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Thursday, July 18, 2019
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
SPORTS

Michigan has options as it tries to replace studded senior class

Carol Hutchins often touted 
the 2019 senior class as one of the 
best she’s ever had.
After falling out of the top-25 
for the first time in a decade, the 
seniors took it upon themselves 
to right the ship. A 12-10 start was 
followed by a 31-1 record heading 
into the postseason, giving the 
Wolverines an opportunity to 
host a regional as the No. 15 
seed. And though Michigan fell 
to James Madison in the winner-
takes-all game of the regional, 
Hutchins was effusive in her 
praise of her seniors. 
If the Wolverines want to 
replicate any sort of the success 
they had this year, they will need 
to fill the voids the senior class 
is leaving. With the offseason 
already in full swing for the 
softball team, The Daily looks at 
possible replacements for each 
vacant position.
Second baseman
Not only will Michigan need to 
find a new leadoff hitter but it will 
be searching for its new anchor 
after the departure of two-time 
All-American 
Faith 
Canfield. 
Following a quiet freshman year 
where she was backup to former 

four-time All-American Sierra 
Romero, Canfield took the reins 
in 2017 and became another 
household name. She started 
every single game for Michigan 
the last three years, posting a 
minimum batting average of .391 
each season including a .404 
average in 2019. Her .617 slugging 
percentage 
and 
.482 
on-base 
percentage this past year both 
were team-highs — exactly what 
any team wants out of its leadoff 
hitter. 
However, Michigan has its 
options to fill the gap. Sophomore 
Morgan Overaitis seems like the 
most logical fit at this position 
as she played 32 games during 
her freshman campaign and 
earned nine starts. Her best 
performance 
came 
against 
Illinois 
State 
as 
designated 
player when she hit two-for-
five with two RBI, showing her 
ability to get hits with runners in 
scoring position.
Then 
there 
is 
standout 
incoming 
freshman 
Julia 
Jimenez. Though she primarily 
played 
shortstop 
and 
third 
baseman 
throughout 
high 
school, 
her 
infield 
instincts 
might be able to translate to 
second base. Her high school 
batting statistics were nothing 

short of spectacular, either. The 
No. 13-ranked recruit, according 
to Softball America, hit at a 
.520-clip with 31 RBI during her 
senior year. Perhaps her most 
impressive 
statistic, 
though, 
is that she struck out just six 
times in her high school career, 
proving that she has the ability 
to continue the legacy of the last 
two Wolverine second basemen.
First baseman
If there was one position in the 
lineup that wasn’t set at the start 
of this past season, it was the 
first baseman. But by the end of 
the year, Alex Sobczak proved to 
be deserving of the spot. After a 
convoluted college career where 
she showed flashes of potential, 
Sobczak broke out in her final 
season, batting cleanup and tied 
for the team lead in home runs 
with 10 while finishing second in 
RBI with 42. 
It seems likely, though, that 
junior Taylor Bump will take 
over. Though Sobczak ended 
up beating her out for the 
starting job, Bump continued to 
earn playing time on defense, 
especially in the postseason, 
due to her reliable glove. Bump 
will need to prove that she can 
produce consistent results in the 
batter’s box, though, which could 

make or break her case for the 
starting role. 
Catcher
Though she ended her final 
season with a non-contact knee 
injury in the regional, Katie 
Alexander left her mark on the 
Wolverines. She contributed 10 
home runs to an offense that 
struggled to put balls over the 
fence and had just one error, 
maintaining a fielding percentage 
of .997.
However, if the end of the 
season was indicative of who can 
replace Katie Alexander, it seems 
like sophomore Hannah Carson 
will get the green light. Carson, a 
top-25 recruit out of high school, 
played the entire regional, batting 
at a .417-clip with two doubles 
and an RBI. She also showed 
great maturity behind the plate, 
committing no errors on the year. 
Designated Player
After a turbulent career at 
Michigan, 
Mackenzie 
Nemitz 
persevered 
through 
injuries 
and fluctuating playing time to 
solidify herself as designated 
player. Sister of former Michigan 
great Nikki Nemitz, Mackenzie 
had a batting average of .288 
with five home runs and 31 RBIs. 
She started 41 games for the 
Wolverines and even showed that 

she could play third baseman 
when Madison Uden was in a 
slump.
In 
the 
postseason, 
rising 
junior Lou Allan pinch hit for 
Nemitz and showed flashes of 
potential to get on base. Driving 
home a crucial RBI as a pinch 
hitter in the Big Ten Tournament 
final and even earning a start at 
designated player in Michigan’s 
most important game of the year 
against James Madison. Allan 
was given plenty of opportunities 
to capitalize once she came back 
from the injury that has hindered 
her for much of her college 
career. Assuming that she can 
stay injury-free, it wouldn’t be 
a surprise if Hutchins inserts 
her into the starting lineup next 
season.
Jimenez could also be another 
option to replace Nemitz if 
Overaitis 
wins 
the 
second 
baseman 
position. 
With 
her 
impressive batting average and 
.940 slugging percentage in high 
school, Hutchins might want 
Jimenez to contribute to the 
Wolverine offense right away.
Center Fielder
As a staple of the Michigan 
offense and defense the last two 
years, Natalie Peters started 
almost 
every 
game 
for 
the 
Wolverines. With a .352 batting 
average 
during 
her 
senior 
season, she had the third-most 
consistent bat on the team. She 
also was the best baserunner for 
Michigan, stealing a team-high 
15 bases on 16 attempts. Losing 
such consistency at the top of the 
batting lineup and speed in the 
outfield will not be an easy task 
for the Wolverines to replace, 
especially when their options 
have not received much playing 
time.
The 
most 
experienced 
replacement 
would 
be 
rising 
sophomore 
Grace 
Chelemen. 
She primarily entered games as 
a pinch runner, showing that she 
could replicate Peters’ speed and 
baserunning, but she only received 
seven at-bats on the season and 
produced just one hit. 
On the other hand, there is No. 
28-ranked incoming freshman Lexi 
Voss. Her .644 batting average was 
topped off by 19 home runs and 
70 RBI in her senior campaign. 
This type of power is significantly 
different from Peters’ slap-hitting 
style and Voss has the ability to add 
another dimension to a Michigan 
offense that lacked power last year. 

AKUL VIJAYVARGIYA
Summer Managing Sports Editor

ALEC COHEN/Daily
Rising sophomore infielder Morgan Overaitis is an option to replace two-time All-American second baseman Faith Canfield next season.

